HUMAN SECURITY, MIGRATION, AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA (AfCFTA)

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) allows Africa to boost intra-trade, structurally transform, diversify, and realise socio-economic objectives committed under the African Union Agenda 2063.The AfCFTA is a flagship for the global Agenda 2030 and 2063 projects.However, economic integration and trade agreements do not promote environmental sustainability and fair outcomes.This study seeks to assess the distributional effects of such an agreement to ensure that migration, trade, climate action, and human security are complementary.Informed by the interpretive approach and qualitative research through content analysis of secondary data, it is argued that it is imperative to complement the AfCFTA initiatives on fundamental human rights, such as human security and migration.The study reveals that AfCFTA could be Africa's beacon of development if several issues are addressed, including putting in place developmental migration, climate change considerations, and labour policies that ensure human security.